Liberty Charge, the electric vehicle charging joint venture between Liberty Global, and Zouk Capital, has joined industry group, Smart Transport.

In order to cement their place as an industry specialist in Electric Vehicle (EV) charging, Liberty Charge has joined Smart Transport which boasts a growing list of members including ABB, AECOM, BP, and FedEx.

Working closely with policymakers, Smart Transport members collaborate on top policy issues concerning the transport industry from evolving Government Mobility policy to Innovative business models to create a cohesive and strategic approach to the UK’s transport needs. With Liberty Charge reaching their next key developmental stage since its formation in May 2020, they will engage with the group’s vast network and industry expertise to realize their ambition of deploying infrastructure to support thousands of public charge points in residential areas of cities and towns.

By partnering with Smart Transport and collaborating with other members, Liberty Charge will be at the forefront of UK transport policy, engaging with its creation and contributing to its implementation, providing strategic insight into the EV charging needs of the UK public while gaining knowledge from industry experts involved in the group. Liberty Charge was formed in response to the government’s ambition of reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 and will contribute their expertise in sustainable transport to Smart Transport as the industry takes a turn to a greener future.

Jason Simpson, Board Director Liberty Charge, said: “We joined Smart Transport as a member due to the organization having a very strategic view of the future of transport. Being a member helps us understand and discuss the views of key Government departments and Combined Authorities in relation to how transport policy is evolving and the opportunities and challenges as they see them.bWe also appreciate the opportunity to engage with other commercial organizations who operate in the same landscape but have a different and equally valuable perspective.”

Stephen Briers, Smart Transport editor-in-chief, welcomed Liberty Charge to the group, commenting: “The Covid-19 pandemic has pulled the need to accelerate the switch to EVs into even greater focus and it’s essential that investors and innovators like Liberty Charge are represented as part of Smart Transport forum discussions. A cross-industry approach between both the private and public sectors will be vital in addressing the charging infrastructure challenges the UK is facing as we move towards net-zero and the ban on the internal combustion engine by 2035 or sooner.”